KENTUCKY DERBY NOTEBOOK: IT'S NEARLY CRASH 'N' DASH.

Byline: Kevin Modesti Daily News Staff Writer

It was Roller Derby. It was Demolition Derby. Or make up your own comparison.

Jockeys said Saturday's Kentucky Derby was the roughest they can recall.

``This was my worst trip ever in horse racing,'' said Gary Stevens, who rode Santa Anita Derby winner General Challenge to an 11th-place finish Saturday after they were squeezed back and nearly fell in the first turn.

``It was horrible,'' said Shane Sellers, who rode Vicar to 18th in the field of 19 after they were forced six-wide in the first turn.

The problem, Sellers said, was that in the absence of confirmed front-runners and dead closers, most horses had the same mid-pack running style. There wasn't room for all of them side-by-side in the clubhouse turn.

Also, the pace was slow, so horses ran up on rivals' heels.

The Daily Racing Form chart noted significant trouble for a dozen horses. They didn't include winner Charismatic or third-place Cat Thief. They did include runner-up Menifee, forced to wait for a path in the stretch.

Stevens said General Challenge's opponents ``picked me up and carried me about four strides. I don't know how I didn't fall.''

Maybe the worst trip went to the Florida filly Three Ring, who was bumped for most of the first quarter-mile and had her saddle slip. She finished last.

``I was, like, riding on her head,'' jockey John Velasquez said.

By the numbers: The Kentucky Derby purse was a record $1,186,200. Charismatic's connections pocketed a record $886,200. . . . The Churchill Downs attendance, 151,051, has been exceeded only by the 163,628 who watched the centennial Derby in 1974. . . . Charismatic is the second straight Derby winner - following Real Quiet - who failed to meet the Dosage standard. Dosage is a statistical measure of the stamina in a thoroughbred's pedigree. . . . D. Wayne Lukas' fourth victory (from 35 starters) tied Dick Thompson for second among Derby trainers. Ben Jones holds the record with six. Lukas also won with Winning Colors ('88), Thunder Gulch ('95) and Grindstone ('96). . . . Elliott Walden trained the runner-up for the second straight Derby - Menifee, a year after Victory Gallop.

Next: Trainer Bob Baffert, denied a record third straight Derby victory, said Prime Timber (fourth) will go on to the May 15 Preakness Stakes in Baltimore and Kentucky Oaks-winning filly Silverbulletday might join him.

General Challenge and Excellent Meeting (fifth) will go back to California.

Consolation: Godolphin Racing's Island Sands won the 2000 Guineas, one of the English classics, at Newmarket earlier Saturday.

But in the United States, it wasn't the day of Godolphin, the Dubai sheikhs' stable. Worldly Manner finished seventh in the Derby.

``We'll be back next year,'' Worldly Manner trainer Saeed bin Suroor said.

The undercard: In the Early Times Turf Classic, the other major race on the Derby program, California's Hawksley Hill came up just short again, charging late under Kent Desormeaux to finish third in a photo finish with winner Wild Event and Garbu.

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

PHOTO Valhol, right, leads the field through the packed first turn Saturday.

Brian Bohannon/Associated Press

BOX: KENTUCKY DERBY CHART